This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a profile having different cross-sectional shapes in the axial or height direction from a laminate comprising blanked sheets, and a method and apparatus for manufacturing component members having outer contours corresponding to the cross-sectional shapes of a laminate in the axial or height direction by blanking sheet stock and sequentially laminating the component members into a profile, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a laminate that can be integrally laminated into a profile easily and positively.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of assistance in explaining a profile to which this invention is applied; (a) being a front view and (b) a plan view. FIG. 2 is cross-sectional shapes of the profile of FIG. 1, viewed from different angles; (a) to (e) being sectional views taken substantially on lines Axe2x80x94A, Bxe2x80x94B, Cxe2x80x94C, Dxe2x80x94D and Exe2x80x94E, respectively, in FIG. 1(a). In FIG. 2. hatching has been omitted for simplicity.
When manufacturing a profile 100 as shown in FIG. 1 from a steel sheet material, the portion of the profile 100 having a circular cross section as shown in FIG. 2(b) and (d) can be machined by lathe turning, but the portions having square, hexagonal and pseudo-cross-shaped cross sections as shown in FIG. 2(a), (c) and (e) require extremely complex machining operations, and accordingly increased man-hours and machining cost.
It is extremely troublesome and complex to manufacture a profile as described above by machining a solid round bar or block, and machining such a profile may be even impossible in some cases. A method for dividing the profile into several component members and subjecting them to different, machining operations, an assembling the machined component members into a profile has been known. For profiles of small sizes, however, it may be impossible to assemble such component members.
To manufacture a profile having a complex shape, on the other hand, casting means, for example, have been employed. Manufacture of profiles with casting means, however, involves a large number of steps ranging from the manufacture of models, to the formation of casting molds, the pouring of molten metal into the molds and so on. This also requires a large amount of man-hours and manufacturing cost. Even by adopting a precision casting method, such as the lost-wax method, it is difficult to maintain high precision and to finish the product into a very smooth surface after casting. The surface finish of the product required after casting tends to increase the cost for manufacturing profiles.
The aforementioned profile can be manufactured by blanking sheet stock into component members having outer contours corresponding to the cross-sectional shapes of the profile in the axial or height direction, and laminating the component members into a laminate corresponding to the profile. In this case, however, laminating component members is usually carried out manually, requiring a large amount of man-hours even when the outer contours of component members are identical. This also involves increased manufacturing cost. Laminating component members having complex outer contours as shown in FIG. 1 requires much more trouble in positioning the component members. This would also increase manufacturing cost.
Means for laminating component members into a laminate include spot welding and laser welding. These welding means tend to cause locally deformed welds, or local weld buildups, leading to gaps between the component members, or reduced laminated density of the laminate, or reduced dimensional accuracy. This would result in loss of predetermined functions as a laminate in extreme cases.
This invention is intended to solve these problems inherent in the prior art. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing a profile having different cross-sectional shapes in the height direction by laminating sheet members into a laminate. It is also an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing a laminate in which a plurality of component members can be easily and positively laminated into a laminate.
To overcome the aforementioned objectives, this invention has adopted a technical means, in a method and apparatus for manufacturing a profile having different cross-sectional shapes in the height direction, where a plurality of component members having different outer contours corresponding to the cross-sectional shapes of the profile in the height direction are formed at a plurality of forming stages by indexing a long-sized hoop of workpiece in the longitudinal direction, indexing the formed component members in a state temporarily connected to the workpiece, and laminating the component members into a laminate by sequentially ejecting the component members from the workpiece in the final stage.
This invention has also adopted a technical means where the manufacturing apparatus for the aforementioned manufacturing method comprises a feeding device for indexing a workpiece, a plurality of punch/die sets for forming multiple types of component members, a push-back device for temporarily replacing the component members to the workpiece, and a laminating device for laminating the component members in the final stage; the punch/die sets and the push-back device adapted to be selectively operable.
This invention has also adopted a technical means, in a method for manufacturing a laminate by punching sheet stock into component members having different outer contours corresponding to the cross-sectional shapes of the laminate, and sequentially laminating the component members into the laminate, where a plurality of component members are blanked from sheet stock, together with clearance holes passing through the component members, part of the component members are laminated and welded together by laser welding, the remaining component members are laminated on the laser-welded component members, with the clearance holes positioned to clear weld buildups on the laser-welded component members, and the entire component members are welded together by applying a laser beam onto the areas of the component members other than the clearance holes.
This invention has also adopted a technical means where the manufacturing apparatus for the aforementioned manufacturing method comprises a housing device for housing multiple types of component members having guide holes and clearance holes, a supporting device having guide pins for engaging with the guide holes, a holding and pressing device for extracting and feeding particular component members onto the supporting device, and a laser-beam unit for applying a laser beam so that the component members are sequentially laminated and welded together into a laminate.